The Hunter
by Em5
Summary: The sky tonight is midnight black and the Hunter uses this to his advantage" - Just what did Edward do during those 'rebellious' years?


A/N: Just wondered what Edward did during those "rebellious" years of his. This is what I came up with. Written in a few hours, so sorry for any spelling mistakes/grammatical errors. I hope you all enjoy!

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The Hunter

The sky tonight is midnight black and the Hunter uses this to his advantage. It is a beautiful night; the cloudless sky peppered with precious stars, and a pale crescent moon that hangs low. With the moon on its side and the glittering stars around it, it appears as if the Heavens are smiling. It is a night to remember.

The Hunter takes no notice.

His mind is filled only with thoughts of his prey He can see her now, and she consumes his very being. He plans every detail of what he will do to her as he sits, watching her and waiting for the right moment. His moment.

His confidence is sure. He has done this before, and he will do this again. He will enjoy it and he won't get caught. He will take his time because he can. Because no one will miss her. Because he likes _taking his time_.

He is a predator, and he takes great pride in this fact. He is in control, because his prey doesn't even know he is there. She stands on the street corner - a Lady of the Night. After dark is supposed to be her time, but not tonight. Tonight the dark belongs to the Hunter, and she remains unaware. Her thoughts are of obtaining her next meal, and wondering where she will sleep that night. The Hunter will use this, too, to his advantage. She will never see him coming. Until it is too late.

And it's almost time. The Hunter is excited now. He knows what comes next, he practically has it memorised. And just the mere thought is intoxicating. The street his prey is on is empty now. They are alone. Or so he thinks...

Consumed only with his lecherous thoughts, the Hunter never stops to question why it is suddenly so quiet. Too quiet. Rats, birds and other nocturnal creatures have fled this place, frightened by the unknown. But like the beauty of the sky, the Hunter does not stop to examine the eerie silence. He does not take heed.

With the grace of a skilled and experienced predator, the Hunter pounces on the unknowing girl, one hand immediately going to her mouth and effectively stopping any sound from exiting. With the other hand he tugs on her upper body, drawing her back into the shadows where he had watched her previously, away from any eyes that may be watching. Her muffled yelps won't help her now, he thinks. No one to hear her. No one to hear _them_. And there is nothing to do now than to take what is his.

Too intent on his victim, the Hunter never sees it coming. Never sees me coming.

With supernatural speed and unparalleled agility, I jumped swiftly from my second story perch to land in a crouch beside the couple. In the second it took me to straighten out, the lady gasped and the man growled. He thought he could intimidate me with his feeble expression, but I'd had plenty of experience with lowlifes like him, and I almost laughed at how pathetic this man really was. Some Hunter.

The girl keeps her tear-filled eyes locked on me as she struggles to break free of her captor, and though her thoughts are too loud and terrified to be understood, I'm sure she is wondering who I am, and where I came from. My eyes - a deep black by now for sure - sweep across her lithe form briefly before turning to the Hunter. Seconds have gone by and he remains still. His arms still tightly restraining the girl, but now he looks at me with confusion.

I grin back, bearing my gleaming white teeth and he visibly shudders. Faster than his human eyes can comprehend, I tug - gently for me - on his clothes and his hold on the girl is gone. She is free, but stands where she is, and does not move. Still keeping a firm hold on the Hunter, I turn my head to look at the girl and lock my eyes onto hers.

"Run," I order, the first word to have been said this night, and she has no choice but to obey. And suddenly she is gone. Fear and adrenaline carry her sobbing body away from this nightmarish scene. Later, when she has time to think, she will wonder who - or what - I am. But right now, she is only concerned with getting as far away from here as possible. I watch her retreating form long after her footsteps become inaudible to human ears. Until I am certain she is safe.

A muffled groan reminds me why the girl needed saving in the first place, and I turn my attention back to the pathetic excuse for a human in front of me. With a sick satisfaction, I realise I have been holding his arm so tightly that it has cracked quite literally under the pressure. With another malicious grin, I squeeze just a fraction harder and delight in the howl of pain he emits. His thoughts, so confident before, are now focused on one thing; he is no longer the Hunter, no longer in control. Now he is the hunted, and he is overwhelming aware of that fact.

Though I would very much like to prolong this animal's suffering, a voice very much like my father's reminds me of just who I am, and why I am so different to others of my kind. Torture is not in my nature. But justice is. This man may not suffer tonight, but he will pay.

With a sharp tug, the Hunter is thrown through the air to collide against the far wall of the alley we are in and land with a sickening crack on the pavement below. I follow him quickly and am at his side before his body even touches the ground. Reaching down, I deliver the fatal blow, which ends this monsters' life. Hearing his thoughts tonight was sickening; disturbing even. My one consolation was the delicious sound his neck made as it snapped between my deadly hands. Death delivered from one monster to another. Poetic, in a way; ironic, certainly. But I am done with him now, I will not drink his tainted blood, and I will not regret my decision to kill him.

The face of my father swims into my head, but I expel him a shake of my head. I have not seen Carlisle, or my mother Esme, for months now, and though I miss them both, I cannot regret my decision to leave their side. This time to myself has helped me to fully understand myself as the monster I am. I can embrace the darkness while still retaining the light that Carlisle bestowed upon me. I know, in time, I will return to them, and my 'vegetarian' lifestyle. But until then, I can at least be happy in the knowledge that I am using my curse to do some good. I am the thing that monsters fear. I am the Hunter.


End file.
